Novels,
upon the surface, may appear to be just organised letters of ink printed upon
pieces of paper with the aim to entertain. Although, beneath the depths of
these words could hoard unlocked secrets of the author and of their time:
personal opinions accidentally spilt across the pages, references to events of
their era weaved into the story and fragments of their life scattered amongst
the imagery and dialogue.
Great
Expectations by Charles Dickens may have the façade of the transgression of a
boy’s life into wealth and adulthood. But, behind this novelistic mask may
conceal the authors views on the justice system of the 1800s, references to
royalty and most certainly class. How has Dickens accomplished in entwining
these subjects into his novel, and what does this illustrate to us about the
author himself?
We find that
many authors have a tendency to inject their own personal experiences into
their work; fuelling their plots with poignant incidents from their life and sculpturing
their characters from acquaintances of the past. Many previous explorers of
Great Expectations have commented on the extent to which the protagonist Pip
mirrors Charles Dickens’s childhood. “It
is impossible to read Great Expectations without sensing Dickens's presence in
the book, without being aware that in portraying and judging Pip he is giving
us a glimpse of a younger self.” (Professor David Cody, 2000, pp1) As Professor
Cody discusses, Dickens may have used fragments of his younger years as
inspiration for the character of Pip, and many events which occur within the
plot.
As a boy,
Dickens lived the first nine years of his life in the coastal regions of Kent. Contrary
to many of the great authors of the nineteenth century, Dickens did not develop
within a life of luxury, education and comfort. John, Dickens’s father, was
rather unapt at controlling the family finances, resulting in accumulating
debts and eventually confronting debtors’ prison when Dickens was twelve. His
mother moved his siblings into prison with their father; however, she arranged
for Dickens to live outside the prison and work pasting labels on bottles in a blacking
warehouse. Dickens viewed this work to be beneath his talents, and spent a wretched
three months suffering the labour. Although, his suffering was not prolonged,
as when his father was released from his confinement, Dickens returned to
school eventually and earned his place as a law clerk before becoming the
novelist we celebrate today.
The parallel
between Dickens’s early life and Pip’s is extremely unambiguous. Before Pip’s Great Expectations come to fruition,
he spends his childhood in the marshes- much like Dickens’s first settlement.
Pip also suffered “that curtain [drop] so heavy and black, as when my way in
life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly-entered road of
apprenticeship to Joe.” (Ch. 14 pp. 91) Much like Dickens experienced when
working in the blacking warehouse. In extension, we additionally find that one
of the more engaging characters, Wemmick, to be a law clerk; much like Dickens
was. Are these just strange coincidences, unconsciously sewn into the
fabrication of the novel? Or did Dickens intend to give the readers a sliver of
his previous life, before the wealth and fame of his literary success?
Royalty
and politics within the Georgian era was a point of conflict, as the battle of
the Georges grew to its climax. Dickens, rather cunningly, may have attempted
to portray this royal quarrel within Great Expectations.
King
George III and his son George IV did not have a strong bond, with politics
being the core conflict within their relationship. As such, in a statement of
rebellion and defiance, George IV married Maria Fits Herbert in 1785 who was
not of royal lineage. This juvenile attempt of mutiny had a short duration of
only ten years, and George remarried to a Princess Caroline, making George
miserable. As such, Caroline was sent to look after the ailing George III.
These
events described may have some connotations within Dickens novel. Wemmick, Pips
acquaintance and eventual professional and personal friend, often described his
house as a “castle” where his father known as “the Aged” resided. There is one focal
scene in which Pip meets “a neat little girl in attendance, who looked after
the Aged in the day.” (Ch. 25 pp. 178) We may draw from this phenomenon that
Dickens endeavoured to recreate the politics of the era. But the question remains,
why? Could by highlighting this event suggest that Dickens agrees with the fact
that George had to remarry to keep a royal blood line within the royal family? Or
maybe, he agrees with the royal rebellion of the frowned upon marriage to Fits
Herbert? For we find that Wemmick does not marry this “neat little girl” who
may represent Princess Caroline, but his love Miss Skiffins. Did Dickens intend
Miss Skiffins to play Fits Herbert in this indefinite performance of the Georgian
reign?
The last
exploration of context arrives in the form on the justice system. As Dickens travelled
through the life as a law clerk, he may have formed strong opinions of the
English justice system, in particular, the death penalty. The beautifully
written scene of chapter fifty six describes the passing of sentences of
criminals, including Pip’s benefactor: Magwitch. Dickens writes the horror that
Pip experiences when he “saw two-and-thirty men and women put before the judge
to receive that sentence together.” (Ch. 56 pp. 388) The magnified passage Dickens
writes notes all of what Pip experiences, down to “the April rain on the
windows of the court, glittering in the rays of April sun.” (Ch. 56 pp. 388) By
emphasising the sentencing, Dickens may be suggesting his views on the death
penalty. The author may be stressing his aversion to the law, accumulated from
his days as a law clerk, as the passage sees Pip’s benefactor being sentenced
to death.
Context is
a wonderful way for authors to express their own experiences and opinions without
causing conflict and controversy. This powerful tool used by Dickens has given
us an incomplete key into his past and of his opinions of topical subjects of
his era. Through context, authors may be the passive politicians of the world,
shedding light on taboo subjects and opinions.
Bibliography:
Charles Dickens (1992). Great Expectations, Wordsworth
Classics, Hertfordshire
Professor David Cody (2000). Autobiographical Elements in
Dickens's Great Expectations, http://mural.uv.es/mobero/dickauto.htm
Viewed at: 20/08/2012 15:34 pm
